Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Comparative Metabolic Rates Of Common Western North Atlantic Ocean Sciaenid Fishes, A. Z. Horodysky, R. W. Brill, P. G. Bushnell, J. A. Musick, R. J. Latour

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The resting metabolic rates (RR) of western North Atlantic Ocean sciaenids, such as Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus, spot Leiostomus xanthurus and kingfishes Menticirrhus spp., as well as the active metabolic rates (R_A) of M. undulatus and L. xanthurus were investigated to facilitate inter and intraspecific comparisons of their energetic ecology. The R_R of M. undulatus and L. xanthurus were typical for fishes with similar lifestyles. The R_R of Menticirrhus spp. were elevated relative to those of M. undulatus and L. xanthurus, but below those of high-energy-demand species such as tunas Thunnus spp. …

Predicting The Hypoxic-Volume In Chesapeake Bay With The Streeter–Phelps Model: A Bayesian Approach, Yong Liu, George B. Arhonditsis, Craig A. Stow, Donald Scavia

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Hypoxia is a long-standing threat to the integrity of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. In this study, we introduce a Bayesian framework that aims to guide the parameter estimation of a Streeter–Phelps model when only hypoxic volume data are available. We present a modeling exercise that addresses a hypothetical scenario under which the only data available are hypoxic volume estimates. To address the identification problem of the model, we formulated informative priors based on available literature information and previous knowledge from the system. Our analysis shows that the use of hypoxic volume data results in reasonable predictive uncertainty, although the variances …

Small Founding Number And Low Genetic Diversity In An Introduced Species Exhibiting Limited Invasion Success (Speckled Dace, Rhinichthys Osculus), Andrew P. Kinziger, Rodney J. Nakamoto, Eric C. Anderson, Bret C. Harvey

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Molecular evaluations of successful invaders are common, however studies of introduced species that have had limited invasion success, or have died out completely, are rare. We studied an introduced population of speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) from northern California, USA that has rapidly increased in abundance but remained restricted to a 25-km stretch of river since its introduction in the mid-1980s. Field and laboratory analyses indicate that invasion success of speckled dace is constrained by the combined effects of multiple predators. The role of bottleneck effects associated with the introduction has not been studied. We assayed variation in seven …

Water Chemistry And Its Effects On The Physiology And Survival Of Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar Smolts, T. Liebich, S. D. Mccormick, D. Kircheis, K. Johnson, R. Regal, T. Hrabik

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The physiological effects of episodic pH fluctuations on Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts in eastern Maine, U.S.A., were investigated. During this study, S. salar smolts were exposed to ambient stream-water chemistry conditions at nine sites in four catchments for 3 and 6 day intervals during the spring S. salar smolt migration period. Plasma chloride, plasma glucose, gill aluminium and gill Na⁺- and K⁺-ATPase levels in S. salar smolts were assessed in relation to ambient stream-water chemistry during this migration period. Changes in both plasma chloride and plasma glucose levels of S. salar smolts were strongly correlated …

Long-Term Survival Of Humpback Whales Radio-Tagged In Alaska From 1976 Through 1978, Sally A. Mizroch, Michael F. Tillman, Susan Jurasz, Janice M. Straley, Olga Von Ziegesar, Louis M. Herman, Adam A. Pack, Scott Baker, Jim Darling, Debbie Glockner-Ferrari, Mark Ferrari, Dan R. Salden, Phillip J. Clapham

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Invasive tags designed to provide information on animal movements through radio or satellite monitoring have tremendous potential for the study of whales and other cetaceans. However, to date there have been no published studies on the survival of tagged animals over periods of years or decades. Researchers from the National Marine Mammal Laboratory and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution tracked five humpback whales with implanted radio tags in southeastern Alaska in August 1976 and July 1977, and tracked two humpback whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska, in June 1978. All seven of these individually identified humpback whales were resighted at …

A Climatological Analysis Of Heatbursts In Oklahoma (1994–2009), Renee A. Mcpherson, Justin D. Lane, Kenneth C. Crawford, William G. Mcpherson Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Heatbursts are characterized by a sudden and highly localized increase in air temperature, a simultaneous decrease in relative humidity and dewpoint temperature, and strong gusty winds, typically associated with decaying thunderstorms. The small spatial extent and short duration of most heatbursts makes detailed study of these events difficult using the standard federal observation network (e.g. hourly observations) established in most countries. Thus, many discussions of heatbursts note that they are ‘rare’ phenomena. However, observations from the Oklahoma Mesonet indicate that although heatbursts are meso-alpha scale phenomena, they are not rare. Using multi-criteria analysis, 207 heatburst events of various magnitudes, areal …

Use Of Fatty Acid Analysis To Determine Dispersal Of Caspian Terns In The Columbia River Basin, U.S.A., Christina J. Maranto, Julia K. Parrish, David P. Herman, André E. Punt, Julian D. Olden, Michael T. Brett, Daniel D. Roby

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Lethal control, which has been used to reduce local abundances of animals in conflict with humans or with endangered species, may not achieve management goals if animal movement is not considered. In populations with emigration and immigration, lethal control may induce compensatory immigration, if the source of attraction remains unchanged. Within the Columbia River Basin (Washington, U.S.A.), avian predators forage at dams because dams tend to reduce rates of emigration of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.), artificially concentrating these prey. We used differences in fatty acid profiles between Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) at coastal and inland breeding colonies …

Estimated Field Metabolic Rates And Prey Requirements Of Resident Killer Whales, Dawn P. Noren

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Killer whales are large animals that often feed in groups and thus have the potential to deplete prey populations. Determining predator energy requirements is essential to assessing whether prey availability is sufficient. This is important because one risk factor facing the endangered Southern Resident killer whale distinct population segment is limited prey availability. Body mass, field metabolic rate (FMR), and daily prey energy requirements (DPERs) were estimated for each individual in the population. FMRs were calculated from body mass, assuming they range from five to six times Kleiber-predicted basal metabolic rates. FMRs of adults were also calculated from resident killer …

Using Aerial Photography To Investigate Evidence Of Feeding By Bowhead Whales, Julie A. Mocklin, David J. Rugh, Sue E. Moore, Robyn P. Angliss

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Aerial photographs were analyzed to investigate the feeding habits of the Bering- Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) population of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), particularly epibenthic feeding near Barrow, Alaska. Evidence of epibenthic feeding was based on mud visible on the dorsal surface of whales, resulting from feeding near the seafloor. Other cues used to assess feeding were an open mouth or the presence of feces in photographs. Over 3,600 photographs were analyzed including photos from surveys in spring and late summer and in both the western and eastern Beaufort Sea. Of all the photographs analyzed, 64% were scored as definitively muddy. …

Bayesian State-Space Model Of Fin Whale Abundance Trends From A 1991–2008 Time Series Of Line-Transect Surveys In The California Current, Jeffrey E. Moore, Jay Barlow

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

1. Estimating temporal trends in animal abundance is central to ecology and conservation, but obtaining useful trend estimates is challenging when animal detection rates vary across surveys (e.g. because of differences in observers or conditions). Methods exist for obtaining abundance estimates using capture–recapture and distance sampling protocols, but only recently have some of these been extended to allow direct estimation of abundance trends when detection rates vary. Extensions to distance sampling for >2surveys have not yet been demonstrated.

2. We demonstrate a Bayesian approach for estimating abundance and population trends, using a time series of line-transect data for endangered fin …

High Species Density Patterns In Macrofaunal Invertebrate Communities In The Marine Benthos, John Oliver, Kamille Hammerstrom, Erika Mcphee-Shaw, Peter Slattery, James Oakden, Stacy Kim, S. Ian Hartwell

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Species density of macrofaunal invertebrates living in marine soft sediments was highest at the shelf-slope break (100–150 m) in Monterey Bay (449 m^-2). There were 337 species m^-2 in the mid-shelf mud zone (80 m). There were fewer species along the slope: 205 m^-2 from the lower slope (950-2000 m) and 335 m^-2 on the upper slope (250-750 m). Species density was highest inside the bay (328-446 m^-2) compared to outside (336-339 m^-2), when examining samples at selected water depths (60-1000 m). There was little difference in local species density from …

The Effect Of Stimulation Frequency On The Transmural Ventricular Monophasic Action Potential In Yellowfin Tuna Thunnus Albacares, S. M. Patrick, E. White, R. W. Brill, H. A. Shiels

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Monophasic action potentials (MAPs) were recorded from the spongy and compact layers of the yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares ventricle as stimulation frequency was increased. MAP duration decreased with increase in stimulation frequency in both the spongy and compact myocardial layers, but no significant difference in MAP duration was observed between the layers.

Recreational Fishing Depredation And Associated Behaviors Involving Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Sarasota Bay, Florida, Jessica R. Powell, Randall S. Wells

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Odontocete depredation involves stealing or damaging bait or prey already captured by fishing gear. The increase in depredation is of concern for small stocks of cetaceans because interactions with fishing gear can lead to serious injury or mortality through entanglement or ingestion. Using long-term data sets available for the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) community in Sarasota Bay, Florida, we investigated recreational fishing gear interactions by (1) examining temporal patterns in depredation and associated behaviors from 2000 to 2007; (2) quantifying the behavior of dolphins that depredate or engage in associated behaviors; and (3) identifying factors associated with the …

Quality Assessment Of Filtered Smoked Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus Albacares) Steaks, Lori F. Pivarnik, Cameron Faustman, Santiago Rossi, Surendranath P. Suman, Catherine Palmer, Nicole L. Richard, P. Christopher Ellis, Michael Diliberti

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Filtered smoke (FS) has been used to preserve taste, texture, and/or color in tuna and other fish species. This treatment is particularly important in color preservation during frozen storage. The objective of this study was to compare changes in the quality profiles of FS-treated and untreated (UT) yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) steaks stored in 3 ways: room temperature (21 to 22 °C), refrigerated (4 to 5 °C), and iced (0 °C). FS and UT steaks were processed from the same lot of fish and analyzed for chemical, microbiological, lipid oxidation, color, and sensory profiles. Similar trends were seen …

Revisiting The Lower Stratospheric Water Vapour Trend From The 1950s To 1970s, H. K. Roscoe, K. H. Rosenlof

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Previous work showed a near-continuous increase in stratospheric water vapour between the 1950s and 1990s from a variety of instruments, without recourse to fits between instruments. We reassess the trend from the earliest, the UK frost-point hygrometer, 1954–1976. An error in previous work omitted to transform values from ppmm to ppmv. When corrected, they fit more convincingly with measurements by later frost-point hygrometers. Minor instrument changes between the 1950s and 1970s do not introduce a potential bias to the trend but do increase its error. If the full 1970s data are included, the trend becomes 2.1 ± 0.8%/year (two-sigma).

Oceanographic Coupling Across Three Trophic Levels Shapes Source–Sink Dynamics In Marine Metacommunities, J. Wilson White, Jameal F. Samhouri

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

A central goal of metapopulation ecology is to determine which subpopulations have the greatest value to the larger metapopulation. That is, where are the ‘sources’ that are most essential to persistence? This question is especially relevant to benthic marine systems, where dispersal and recruitment are greatly affected by oceanographic processes. In a single-species context, theoretical models typically identify ‘hotspots’ with high recruitment, especially high self-recruitment, as having the highest value. However, the oceanographic forces affecting larval delivery of a given species may also influence the recruitment of that species’ predators, prey, and competitors.We present evidence from the Virgin Islands and …

Explaining Spatial Variability In Stream Habitats Using Both Natural And Management-Influenced Landscape Predictors, K. J. Anlauf, D. W. Jensen, K. M. Burnett, E. A. Steel, K. Christiansen, J. C. Firman, B. E. Feist, D. P. Larsen

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

1. The distribution and composition of in-stream habitats are reflections of landscape scale geomorphic and climatic controls. Correspondingly, Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) are largely adapted to and constrained by the quality and complexity of those in-stream habitat conditions. The degree to which lands have been fragmented and managed can disrupt these patterns and affect overall habitat availability and quality.

2. Eleven in-stream habitat features were modelled as a function of landscape composition. In total, 121 stream reaches within coastal catchments of Oregon were modelled. For each habitat feature, three linear regression models were applied in sequence; final models were …

A Model Of Chinook Salmon Population Dynamics Incorporating Size-Selective Exploitation And Inheritance Of Polygenic Correlated Traits, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Ryan M. Nielson, Jeffrey J. Hard

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Concern regarding the potential for selective fisheries to degrade desirable characteristics of exploited fish populations is growing worldwide. Although the occurrence of fishery-induced evolution in a wild population has not been irrefutably documented, considerable theoretical and empirical evidence for that possibility exists. Environmental conditions influence survival and growth in many species and may mask comparatively subtle trends induced by selective exploitation, especially given the evolutionarily short time series of data available from many fisheries. Modeling may be the most efficient investigative tool under such conditions. Motivated by public concern that large-mesh gillnet fisheries may be altering Chinook salmon in western …

A Riverscape Perspective Of Pacific Salmonids And Aquatic Habitats Prior To Large-Scale Dam Removal In The Elwha River, Washington, Usa, S. J. Brenkman, J. J. Duda, C. E. Torgersen, E. Welty, G. R. Pess, R. Peters, M. L. Mchenry

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Dam removal has been increasingly proposed as a river restoration technique. In 2011, two large hydroelectric dams will be removed from Washington State’s Elwha River. Ten anadromous fish populations are expected to recolonise historical habitats after dam removal. A key to understanding watershed recolonisation is the collection of spatially continuous information on fish and aquatic habitats. A riverscape approach with an emphasis on biological data has rarely been applied in mid-sized, wilderness rivers, particularly in consecutive years prior to dam removal. Concurrent snorkel and habitat surveys were conducted from the headwaters to the mouth (rkm 65–0) of the Elwha River …

The Minimization Of The Screen Bias From Ancient Western Mediterranean Air Temperature Records: An Exploratory Statistical Analysis, Manola Brunet, Jesús Asin, Javier Sigró, Manuel Bañón, Francisco García, Enric Aguilar, Juan Esteban Palenzuela, Thomas C. Peterson, Phil Jones

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Here we present an exploratory statistical analysis aimed at the minimization of the ‘screen bias’ from affected ancient air temperature time series over the Western Mediterranean. Our approach lies in the statistical analysis of about 6 years of daily paired temperature observations taken using the ancient Montsouri shelter and the modern Stevenson screen for daily maximum (T_x) and minimum (T_n) temperature data recorded at two experimental sites: the meteorological gardens of La Coruña and Murcia, Spain (locations under the influence of the Oceanic/Atlantic/Galician and Mediterranean arid and semi-arid climate types, respectively), where ongoing field trials have …

Multidecadal Otolith Growth Histories For Red And Gray Snapper (Lutjanus Spp.) In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Usa, Bryan A. Black, Robert J. Allman, Isaac D. Schroeder, Michael J. Schirripa

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Dendrochronology (tree-ring analysis) techniques were applied to develop chronologies from the annual growth-increment widths of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) and gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus) otoliths sampled from the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA. Growth increment widths showed considerable synchrony within and across species, indicating that some component of environmental variability influenced growth. The final, exactly dated red snapper chronology continuously spanned 1975 through 2003, while the gray snapper chronology continuously spanned 1975 through 2006. To determine baseline climategrowth relationships, chronologies were compared to monthly averages of sea surface temperatures, U winds (west to east), V winds …

A Synergetic Use Of Satellite Imagery From Sar And Optical Sensors To Improve Coastal Flood Mapping In The Gulf Of Mexico, Naira Chaouch, Marouane Temimi, Scott Hagen, John Weishampel, Stephen Medeiros, Reza Khanbilvardi

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

This work proposes a method for detecting inundation between semi-diurnal low and high water conditions in the northern Gulf of Mexico using high-resolution satellite imagery. Radarsat 1, Landsat imagery and aerial photography from the Apalachicola region in Florida were used to demonstrate and validate the algorithm. A change detection approach was implemented through the analysis of red, green and blue (RGB) false colour composites image to emphasise differences in high and low tide inundation patterns. To alleviate the effect of inherent speckle in the SAR images, we also applied ancillary optical data. The flood-prone area for the site was delineated …

Development Of An Enhanced Tropical Cyclone Tracks Database For The Southwest Pacific From 1840 To 2010, H. J. Diamond, A. M. Lorrey, K. R. Knapp, D. H. Levinson

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The ecosystems and economies of small island nation states and territories of the tropical southwest Pacific region are widely agreed to be among the most vulnerable to climate variability and weather extremes anywhere in the world. Tropical Cyclones (TCs) are capable of exacerbating existing hazards and those made more severe by climate change (e.g. local sea level rise). In order to properly understand TC impacts in this region, a comprehensive database of TC tracks is required. This work has collated TC best track data from forecast centres around the globe with the aim of producing a unified global best TC …

What’S The Catch? Patterns Of Cetacean Bycatch And Depredation In Hawaii-Based Pelagic Longline Fisheries, Karin A. Forney, Donald R. Kobayashi, David W. Johnston, Jamie A. Marchetti, Michael G. Marsik

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

U.S. Pacific pelagic longline fisheries operating in the central North Pacific have been subject to a series of regulations to reduce bycatch of protected species, including seabirds and sea turtles. Cetaceans are also occasionally caught, and the bycatch of false killer whales, Pseudorca crassidens, in the Hawaii-based deep-set longline fishery currently exceeds allowable levels under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). In this study, we examined longline observer data collected between 1994 and 2009, with emphasis on 2003–2009, to identify patterns of cetacean bycatch and depredation in relation to area, time, vessel, habitat variables, fishing gear, and set characteristics. …

Distribution And Abundance Of Stream Fishes In Relation To Barriers: Implications For Monitoring Stream Recovery After Barrier Removal, C. Gardner, S. M. Coghlan Jr., J. Zydlewski, R. Saunders

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Dams are ubiquitous in coastal regions and have altered stream habitats and the distribution and abundance of stream fishes in those habitats by disrupting hydrology, temperature regime and habitat connectivity. Dam removal is a common restoration tool, but often the response of the fish assemblage is not monitored rigorously. Sedgeunkedunk Stream, a small tributary to the Penobscot River (Maine, USA), has been the focus of a restoration effort that includes the removal of two low-head dams. In this study, we quantified fish assemblage metrics along a longitudinal gradient in Sedgeunkedunk Stream and also in a nearby reference stream. By establishing …

Understanding And Estimating Effective Population Size For Practical Application In Marine Species Management, Matthew P. Hare, Leonard Nunney, Michael K. Schwartz, Daniel E. Ruzzante, Martha Burford, Robin S. Waples, Kristen Ruegg, Friso Palstra

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Effective population size (N_e) determines the strength of genetic drift in a population and has long been recognized as an important parameter for evaluating conservation status and threats to genetic health of populations. Specifically, an estimate of N_e is crucial to management because it integrates genetic effects with the life history of the species, allowing for predictions of a population’s current and future viability. Nevertheless, compared with ecological and demographic parameters, N_e has had limited influence on species management, beyond its application in very small populations. Recent developments have substantially improved N_e estimation; however, some …

Radar Characteristics Of Continental, Coastal, Andmaritime Convection Observed During Amma/Namma, Nick Guy, Steven A. Rutledge, Robert Cifelli

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Ground-based radar observations at three distinct geographical locations in West Africa along a common latitudinal band (Niamey, Niger (continental), Kawsara, Senegal (coastal), and Praia, Republic of Cape Verde (maritime)) are analyzed to determine convective system characteristics in each domain during a 29-day period in 2006. Ancillary datasets provided by the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA) and NASA-AMMA (NAMMA) field campaigns are also used to place the radar observations in context. Results show that the total precipitation is dominated by propagating mesoscale convective systems. Convective characteristics vary according to environmental properties, such as vertical shear, CAPE, and the degree of synoptic …

Satellite Cloud And Precipitation Assimilation At Operational Nwp Centres, Peter Bauer, Thomas Auligné, William Bell, Alan Geer, Vincent Guidard, Sylvain Heilliette, Masahiro Kazumori, Min-Jeong Kim, Emily H.-C. Liu, Anthony P. Mcnally, Bruce Macpherson, Kozo Okamoto, Richard Renshaw, Lars-Peter Riishøjgaard

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The status of current efforts to assimilate cloud- and precipitation-affected satellite data is summarised with special focus on infrared and microwave radiance data obtained from operational Earth observation satellites. All global centres pursue efforts to enhance infrared radiance data usage due to the limited availability of temperature observations in cloudy regions where forecast skill is estimated to strongly depend on the initial conditions.Most systems focus on the sharpening of weighting functions at cloud top providing high vertical resolution temperature increments to the analysis, mainly in areas of persistent high and low cloud cover. Microwave radiance assimilation produces impact on the …

Review Article The Twentieth Century Reanalysis Project, G. P. Compo, J. S. Whitaker, P. D. Sardeshmukh, N. Matsui, R. J. Allan, X. Yin, B. E. Gleason Jr., R. S. Vose, G. Rutledge, P. Bessemoulin, S. Brönnimann, M. Brunet, R. I. Crouthamel, A. N. Grant, P. Y. Groisman, P. D. Jones, M. C. Kruk, A. C. Kruger, G. J. Marshall, M. Maugeri, H. Y. Mok, Ø. Nordli, T. F. Ross, R. M. Trigo, X. L. Wang, S. D. Woodruff, S. J. Worley

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) project is an international effort to produce a comprehensive global atmospheric circulation dataset spanning the twentieth century, assimilating only surface pressure reports and using observed monthly sea-surface temperature and sea-ice distributions as boundary conditions. It is chiefly motivated by a need to provide an observational dataset with quantified uncertainties for validations of climate model simulations of the twentieth century onall time-scales,with emphasisonthe statistics of daily weather. It uses an Ensemble Kalman Filter data assimilation method with background ‘first guess’ fields supplied by an ensemble of forecasts from a global numerical weather prediction model. This directly …

Migration And Behavior Of Juvenile North Pacific Albacore (Thunnus Alalunga), John Childers, Stephanie Snyder, Suzanne Kohin

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Archival tags were used to study the seasonal movements, migration patterns and vertical distribution of juvenile North Pacific albacore (Thunnus alalunga). Between 2001 and 2006, archival tags were deployed in North Pacific albacore in two regions of the Northeast Pacific: (i) off Northern Baja California, Mexico and Southern California, and (ii) off Washington and Oregon. Twenty archival tagged fish were recovered with times at liberty ranging from 63 to 697 days. Tagged albacore exhibited five distinct, seasonal migratory patterns. Depth and temperature data also showed a broad range of vertical behaviors. In certain regions such as off Baja …