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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Assessing The Impact Of Climate Change On Proposed Restoration Of The Lynnhaven River Ecosystem, Emily E. Skeehan
Assessing The Impact Of Climate Change On Proposed Restoration Of The Lynnhaven River Ecosystem, Emily E. Skeehan
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Environmental degradation of the Chesapeake Bay (CB) and its sub-estuaries has been linked to population growth in the surrounding coastal zone, rapid development in the watershed and resultant nutrient loading into the Bay. Consequently, the federal government and its partners have developed restoration plans to mitigate the effects of eutrophication and improve essential ecosystem functions, though few restoration plans have considered the interactive effects of climate change. Climate change and other anthropogenic drivers are causing changes in ecosystem structure and function, thereby impacting the beneficial services ecosystems provide. While some studies have attempted to quantitatively predict the benefits of ecosystem …
Bay Scallop, Argopecten Irradians, Restoration In The Virginia Coastal Bays: The Role Of Predation On Spring Vs Fall Cohort Survival, Erika L. Schmitt
Bay Scallop, Argopecten Irradians, Restoration In The Virginia Coastal Bays: The Role Of Predation On Spring Vs Fall Cohort Survival, Erika L. Schmitt
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
While the importance o f predation in controlling many natural bivalve populations is well established, it is often overlooked in the restoration strategies for depleted populations. Adult bay scallops {Argopecten irradians concentricus) along the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast spawn multiple times per year, typically once in the early summer and again in the early fall. Larvae generally settle on seagrass leaves to avoid benthic predators, but shift to the sediment surface around 20 mm in size when they become less vulnerable to predation. The objectives o f this study were to 1.) Determine proportional survival o f two distinct size classes …
The Reproductive Biology Of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) In Chesapeake Bay, Carissa L. Gervasi
The Reproductive Biology Of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) In Chesapeake Bay, Carissa L. Gervasi
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
The Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) is an anadromous finfish that supports a lucrative fishery along the Atlantic coast of the United States and serves as a vital component of estuarine food webs. Once Striped Bass stocks were restored after crashing in the late 1980s, abundance skyrocketed to record levels. Over the past decade however, abundance has steadily declined, concurrent with an outbreak of mycobacteriosis. Disease prevalence is currently >50%, and previous research has demonstrated diseasepositive fish exhibit slower growth and increased natural mortality compared to diseasenegative fish. The purpose of this research was to provide a contemporary description of Chesapeake …
A Model Of Carrying Capacity And Ecosystem Impacts In A Large-Scale, Bivalve-Dominated Agro-Ecosystem: Hard Clam Aquaculture In Cherrystone Inlet, Va, Michael A. Kuschner
A Model Of Carrying Capacity And Ecosystem Impacts In A Large-Scale, Bivalve-Dominated Agro-Ecosystem: Hard Clam Aquaculture In Cherrystone Inlet, Va, Michael A. Kuschner
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
With the recent growth of the hard clam aquaculture industry, sites of intensive aquaculture have emerged as large-scale agro-ecosystems where the success of aquaculture production is dynamically linked to ecosystem function. Large scale clam aquaculture operations are associated with a range of potential positive and negative feedbacks related to nutrient dynamics, water and sediment quality, proliferation of macroalgae, and carrying capacity. Quantitative modeling tools are needed to support system-level planning related to site selection, scale of operations, production capacity and ecosystem function. The purpose of this study was to develop a model for Cherrystone Inlet, VA, where one-third (1.9 km2) …
Storm Event Impact On Organic Matter Flux, Composition And Reactivity In Taskinas Creek, Va, Sarah Schillawski Cammer
Storm Event Impact On Organic Matter Flux, Composition And Reactivity In Taskinas Creek, Va, Sarah Schillawski Cammer
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
Carbon export from the land to the ocean are an important part of the global carbon cycle, linking terrestrial watersheds and the global carbon cycle. Burial of terrestrial organic carbon represents a long term sink for atmospheric CO2. Approximately 0.4 Pg Cy-1 is delivered to the global ocean from rivers, equally divided between POC and DOC. However, the amount of carbon entering the ocean is a small portion of the total amount entering rivers from the terrestrial environment, suggesting a large amount of processing in inland waters and estuaries. Most monitoring efforts have focused the processing of organic matter on …
Oyster Reef Connectivity Inferred Via Population Genetic Analysis, Brendan Douglas Turley
Oyster Reef Connectivity Inferred Via Population Genetic Analysis, Brendan Douglas Turley
Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects
A panel of 48 single nucleotide polymorphism markers (SNPs) was developed for use in a population genetic analysis of the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica sampled from the lower Chesapeake Bay. The SNPs were developed from published and unpublished sequencing data and developed to be used on a Fluidigm Biomark. A selection of 95 SNPs were chosen initially for development and the best 48 were selected for downstream applications. This project was a collaboration with the non-profit Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) to examine their oyster reef restoration project in the Lafayette River, Virginia. The CBF wanted to test a hydrodynamic connectivity …